This weekend I had the pleasure of attending #CURLFEST2017 , and if I could describe it in two words I would say that it was memorable & inspiring! Seeing so many natural haired beauties, in such stylish and unique outfits left me in awe! The beautiful ladies of the Curly Girl Collective started #CURLFEST 4 years ago, and seeing the turn out for this years festival makes me even more excited for next year!

Aside from all of the beautiful and stylish women with great outfits, there was an even bigger message being transmitted throughout the festival…Empowerment. Whether it be Women Empowerment, Black Empowerment, or Community Empowerment. Through the conversations, to the music everyone eluded love and togetherness and it was something beautiful to see. It empowered me to feel even more proud of who I am as a young black woman. For years growing up I wasn’t always taught to embrace my natural hair, after 2nd grade my mom started to use a relaxer on my hair because that’s what she grew up on. It wasn’t until when I got to Jr. High School I decided to grow it out because my hair was so straight and dull, and not to mention getting a relaxer burned like hell! But events like CURLFEST are amazing because women of all ages need that sense of community, especially when it comes to embracing different aspects of ourselves that make us unique and beautiful.

Now that I am a young woman I learned to embrace different natural characteristics about myself as much as possible, and I think that is something every girl should be taught, especially as they come into their own. I saw so many young girls wearing their curls and coils with pride, so beautifully alongside their parents and peers. This just shows that the stereotypical standards of beauty are changing for the better, and CURLFEST contributes to this change greatly by bringing the culture together to embrace everyones unique style and story.